Are you a regular at your local cafe? Are you obsessed with espresso coffee but haven’t been sure how to bring that experience into your home? We have a solution for you, and all you need is the Bialetti Stovetop coffee maker.
Bialetti Stovetop Coffee Maker
The Bialetti stovetop coffee maker or ‘Moka Pot’’ espresso is an affordable method to obtain exceptional coffee every time. It comes from Italy, which produces some of the world’s best coffee. It is ideal to use every morning because it’s simple, quick, and hassle-free.
What kind of espresso does a bialetti make
Although stovetop espresso isn’t exactly an espresso since the pressure reached by the pot isn’t high enough, the coffee it creates is fantastic, and some enthusiasts believe it’s even better. Many Italian households would not be complete without a moka pot.
Stovetop espresso takes some getting used to – it’s nothing like the smooth shots full of crema you get in a café, but if you love rich espresso coffee, especially in the mornings at camp, you’ll definitely enjoy this coffee maker.
What equipment do I need to have
The most important thing you will need is to have a Moka pot. They come in many sizes from 1 cup to 18 cups.
You can purchase the sizes 2 to 10 from us here. If you want sizes greater than 10, you can get them from here.
Apart from the pot itself, you need good quality ground coffee beans, water and a heat source – stove or induction.
Bialetti difficulty level
Difficulty: ⅖
Using a Moka pot is easy to use because there’s no need to weigh or measure anything, and it brews rapidly, resulting in less fuel use over time. You will quickly become comfortable using this machine and the moka pot will become your go to brew when family and friends come over.
How long will the Bialetti take to brew
The actual brewing time is very short and should not take more than 5 minutes. The only extra time you may need is if you manually grind the beans.
What coffee to use
Knowing which type of coffee you need is the first and most important step in having a good bialetti espresso. Moka pot works well with beans of all roast ranges including light, medium, or dark roasted coffee beans. Your choice of coffee bean is up to you, but at Quest Coffee Roasters we recommend some beans as being well made for bialetti espresso.
Quest Coffee Roasters sells and delivers a range of roasts, from light to dark, through our online store. You may also order beans whole or ground for your Bialetti Stovetop.
When selecting a grind size, your objective is to extract the right amount of flavour from your coffee. Too little and you’ve under-extracted it, too much and you’ve over extracted it. The perfect grind size for your moka pot should be similar to grinds of table salt.
How to use my Bialetti Moka Pot
Steps
- Fill the reservoir with pre-boiled water till below the valve.
- Spoon your coffee into the funnel until it’s full. Do not tamp the coffee as water needs to easily pass through.
- Tightly screw the upper part of the pot. Avoid using the handle to tighten.
- Place the pot on the stovetop, making sure that the flame is not larger than the bottom of the pot.
- As the water comes to a boil, the water pressure will increase which will cause the water to move up through the coffee grounds, column, and into the top chamber. Remove from heat once the gurgling sound begins.
- Make sure to stir the coffee in the chamber to optimize flavor.
- Note, the pot makes the equivalent of an espresso, so you may want to dilute it with hot water, or milk to your taste.
Cleaning
When cleaning your pot, just rinse it and use the soft ’sponge’ side of a dish sponge. The abrasive side will scrub and scrape off the seasoning you’ve worked hard to get. The interior of the pot will develop a dark coffee covering over time, which is precisely what you want. The coffee coating on the inside of the bottom chamber results in a better, more fuller coffee taste.
It is absolutely essential that you do not use soap, detergent or wash in the dishwasher. Using this will remove the coffee coating that has been built up over time.
Tips and hints
- Ensure the Bialetti is completely dry before using it.
- Turn off the heat before the coffee completely boils over to prevent burning the coffee.
- Store coffee grounds in an airtight container, away from sunlight.
- Over time, the rubber gasket seals will degrade and the filter may become clogged. You can order replacement parts from us on our online store.
FAQs
Q. What size Bialetti Stovetop should I order?
A. The size of your Bialetti stovetop is determined by how much coffee you consume in a single session, how strong you prefer it, and how many people will be drinking it. When Bialetti says ‘2 cup’, it means ‘two espresso cups’ of coffee will be made on your stovetop. A espresso size is roughly 30 millilitres.
Q. Why is my coffee bitter?
A. Bitter coffee is caused mainly by two things. Over-roasted, low quality beans or over extraction by brewing too much. Let’s assume you are using good quality beans, so the problem is that you are brewing too much. The best way to avoid it is to remove the stovetop from the heat when the top part is ¾ full.
If you still have this issue, then we can fix it by using a coarser setting, allowing the water to pull out the flavours.
Q. Should I start with cold or hot water?
A.Starting with hot, pre-boiled water is strongly recommended.
This cuts down on the time it takes to brew the coffee and prevents the pot from “cooking” the grounds before the brewing starts. You don’t want cooked coffee grounds because they have a metallic and harsh flavour.
Q. Should I tamp the coffee grounds?
A. Never, under any circumstances, tamp the grinds in a pot. Tamping will create excessive pressure on the Bialetti which may cause the pot to burst, resulting in boiling water or flying fragments resulting in injury.
Q. Is the Bialetti good for camping?
A. There aren’t many coffee brewers that are suitable for campers, but one of them is the Bialetti stovetop. It can be used to make rich coffee over a portable burner or even a bonfire.
Q. What is seasoning a Moka pot?
A. The metal and protective factory coating on your new stovetop machine will make the first few cups of coffee taste nasty, so if you don’t properly season your new pot before you start drinking the brew you produce, your impression about the stovetop espresso may be worsened.
Seasoning is simple. All you need to do is brew a few pots using inexpensive coffee grounds and discard it.
Quest Coffee Roasters is an Australian owned and operated business with over 12 years experience sourcing, importing and roasting the finest organic coffee beans from around the world.
If you’re needing help choosing coffee beans and coffee tools for your latest coffee adventure, click the link below to compare brewing techniques to coffee beans for your home brewing setup, or contact us at in**@qu*********.au.
Quest Coffee Roasters. Caring for the beans and the planet they grow on.
